Ethiopia is hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to multiple sources and satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters, offering the first direct evidence of Addis Ababa’s involvement in Sudan’s civil war.
The discovery marks a potentially dangerous escalation in a conflict that has already drawn in foreign backers from across Africa and the Middle East. By supplying the RSF with a new pipeline of trained recruits, the camp could significantly alter the balance of power as fighting intensifies in southern Sudan.
Eight sources, including a senior Ethiopian government official, said the United Arab Emirates financed the construction of the camp and provided military trainers and logistical support. Those claims are echoed in an internal Ethiopian security services memo and a diplomatic cable seen by Reuters. The news agency was unable to independently verify the UAE’s involvement.
In response to questions, the UAE foreign ministry said Abu Dhabi was not a party to the conflict and was not involved “in any way” in the fighting.
Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF derailed a planned transition to civilian rule. The conflict has triggered famine, widespread displacement and racially charged atrocities. Millions of refugees have fled to neighbouring Egypt, Chad, Libya and South Sudan.
Reuters spoke to 15 sources with direct knowledge of the camp’s construction and operations, including Ethiopian officials, intelligence officers and diplomats. Satellite imagery analysed by the news agency corroborates key details contained in the security memo and diplomatic cable.
The camp’s location, scale and the detailed allegations of Emirati involvement have not been previously reported. Recent satellite images show extensive development at the site, as well as construction of a drone ground control station at a nearby airport.
According to the imagery, activity at the camp intensified in October. The facility is located in Ethiopia’s remote western Benishangul-Gumuz region, near the border with Sudan.
Ethiopia’s government spokesperson, its military and the RSF did not respond to detailed requests for comment. On January 6, Ethiopia and the UAE issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire in Sudan while praising bilateral ties that they said supported each other’s security.
As of early January, about 4,300 RSF fighters were undergoing military training at the site, with “logistical and military supplies being provided by the UAE,” according to the Ethiopian security memo. Sudan’s army has repeatedly accused the UAE of supplying weapons to the RSF, allegations that UN experts and US lawmakers have described as credible.
The UAE has been a key supporter of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since he took office in 2018, pledging billions of dollars in aid and investment. The two countries have since built close military ties.
Officials say most of the recruits at the camp are Ethiopian nationals, though fighters from Sudan and South Sudan are also present. Some were reportedly linked to the SPLM-N, a Sudanese rebel group operating in Blue Nile state, although a senior SPLM-N leader denied his group had any presence in Ethiopia.
Several officials said the recruits are expected to join RSF units fighting Sudanese army forces in Blue Nile, which has emerged as a new front in the war. Two officials said hundreds of fighters have already crossed the border in recent weeks.
The internal security memo names General Getachew Gudina, head of the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s Defense Intelligence Department, as overseeing the camp’s creation. Multiple diplomatic and security sources confirmed his role. Getachew did not respond to requests for comment.
Satellite imagery shows the camp was carved out of forested land in the Menge district, roughly 32 kilometres from the Sudanese border. Its location places it near the intersection of Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan.
Clearing began in April, followed by the construction of metal-roofed buildings. Larger-scale development, including tents for trainees, began in the second half of October.
A diplomatic cable dated November describes the camp as capable of housing up to 10,000 fighters. It reports the arrival of dozens of Land Cruisers, heavy trucks, RSF units and UAE trainers. Reuters is withholding the authoring country of the cable to protect the source.
Two officials said they saw trucks bearing the logo of Emirati logistics firm Gorica Group travelling through the town of Asosa toward the camp in October. Gorica did not respond to requests for comment.
Satellite images from late November show more than 640 tents at the site. Defence intelligence firm Janes estimated the camp could house at least 2,500 people, though it said it could not confirm the site’s military purpose from imagery alone.
Senior military officials said convoys of trucks carrying hundreds of recruits were seen travelling toward the camp in mid-November. Further development continued into January, including new earthworks and rows of shipping containers.
Satellite imagery also shows significant construction at Asosa airport, about 53 kilometres from the camp. New hangars, paved aprons and what experts identified as a UAV ground control station and satellite antenna have appeared since August 2025.
Ethiopian officials said the military plans to turn the airport into a drone operations hub as part of a wider shift of aerial assets toward the country’s western flank. A diplomatic source said the move was aimed at countering threats along the Sudan border and protecting critical infrastructure, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Regional officials expressed concern over the camp’s proximity to the dam, Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, warning it could become vulnerable if fighting spreads.
Several analysts and officials said the airport has become instrumental in supplying the RSF across the border. Some sources said the UAE also financed the airport refurbishment, though claims could not independently verified.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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